CFP: Rhetorics of Medicine and Curing (5/31/03; journal issue)

Queen: a journal of rhetoric and power is soliciting papers for a newvolume dedicated to exploring the rhetorics of medicine and curing.Deadline for submissions will be 31 May 2003, and must include fulltext and abstract.

The editors invite submissions of essays focusing upon the rhetoricalpractices used in medicine. If we understand medicine as one socialconstruct of a variety of possible curative practices, we can begin toask questions concerning the overall function, purpose and goal ofthese systems of curing. What values, assumptions, judgments shapemedical practices? How is medical knowledge shaped? What role doesmedicine play in a society? What is the relationship between communityand individual in the medical encounter? What constitutes health?What constitutes illness? What is curing? What rhetorical features(narrative, argumentation, audiences, contexts) can be identified asdetermining and shaping knowledge about people, medicine and health?How have these rhetorical practices changed over time? How do theydiffer between cultures? Are miracles medical? Exorcisms?

Other questions to be pondered could and should approach the curativeencounter from the patient perspective: How do patients contribute tothe encounter? What assumptions do they bring? What are theirexperiences? How do they shape them and share them? What influencesdoes their rhetoric of healing bring to medical practices? How has therole of patient changed over time?

We invite scholars from the field of medical ethics, bioethics,rhetoric of science, anthropology, culture criticism, literature, andhistory of medicine to submit traditional academic analyses, reports,first-person narratives, multi-media presentations, and we encouragesubmissions that take the fullest advantage of our publishing medium.

The issue is not limited to any one time period or any particularculture, but can include, for example, analyses of ancient healingrituals in classical antiquity, religious miracles traditions,christian science, modern medical research rhetorics. Historical andcross cultural perspectives are also welcome.

Because Queen is an online journal, we are especially interested inproposals that will take advantage of multimedia and hypertext formats.We accept standard academically formatted essays, but we also encourageall other communication modes and genres.

Submissions (electronic only) should include:

1) a brief abstract of the proposed submission;2) relevant professional/personal information;3) means by which to contact you;4) if possible, include the full work and send it in RTF format

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5) photographs should be sent as JPEGs, or, preferably, as links to aportfolio site;6) photographic submissions should also include a brief abstract of theartwork, essay, video, etc.

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If accepted, you will be asked to submit a photo of yourself and abrief blurb about yourself. See our website and journal for examples.(www.ars-rhetorica.net)

Queen seeks to rejuvenate rhetoric studies, gender studies,culture-historical studies, and religious studies by experimenting withcross-inter-sections of these disciplines. Queen seeks to explore theways in which power shapes people and people shape power. Direct allinquiries, proposals, and completed work to david_at_ars-rhetorica.net orerika.olbricht_at_pepperdine.edu.